Former NXT North American champion Bronson Reed recently appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vilet to discuss all things pro-wrestling, including what his next steps are following his release, and how he had just signed an extension but was released anyway. Highlights are below.
What’s next for him after being released:
“Well it was very shocking at first. I would be lying if I would say I wasn’t upset and angry and all the emotions that come with something like this. It’s like the 7 stages of grief. Even though I didn’t physically lose anyone, it was kind of like Bronson Reed had died. I’d spent the last few years investing in myself and becoming that character of Bronson Reed. But now that’s over and I have to look to something new. I am bringing back a little bit of what I did before WWE and becoming JONAH again, but it was hard. I have been able to deal with it pretty well though. I’ve had hardships in life and in the professional wrestling business before that have sort of prepared me for if this day was to come. I just didn’t think it would be any time soon.”
He had just signed a contract extension before being released:
“I started at the start of 2019 on a 3-year deal. Only at the start of this year I signed a new 3-year deal. I was blindsided that halfway through the year that I was released. Also with where I was placed in the card and how I was utilized, I didn’t think it was coming.”
His immediate reaction:
“It was definitely shock. I got the call while I was watching SmackDown. I was under the impression the last few months with WWE that I would be moving to a SmackDown or a RAW. When I got the call, I assumed it was about going to RAW or going to SmackDown. I was quite happy on the phone and ready to hear that news. When the call was that I was getting released, that mood completely changed. I was in shock and awe. I made sure to question why and they didn’t really give me a reason at all, which is even more frustrating, because then you question yourself, like what happened? I think shock was the initial reaction, but then I was more angry than upset. There was a lot more that I could have done, but that got taken away. But now I see that it is an avenue for me to do that somewhere else.”
Full interview can be found below.